Champagne
by AmandaxxPlease
Summary: This is not how Draco imagined his proposal to go. A Bittersweet Dramione One Shot. Song fic. Based off of the Mayday Parade song Champagne is for Celebrating. EDIT: Now has a second part titled Ballad based off of the song A Ballad of Love and Hate by The Avett Brothers
1. Champagne

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other characters, just the plot that I would love to share with you. Enjoy! **

**A/N: This song is loosely based off of Champagne is for Celebrating(I'll Have A Martini) by Mayday Parade**

**Champagne**

A distinct pop could be heard as Draco Malfoy apparated into his home: a small cottage on the edge of wizarding London. It was a temporary home, one that didn't actually belong to him, but to his girlfriend. He surveyed the room. It looked the same as it had for the past week; everything was still in place. The dishes were sitting next to the sink, ready to be put away. There was a blanket thrown lazily across the couch. A chess board was sitting on the table at the breakfast nook, the game paused for the time being. The turntable was still in its spot, with the same record in it and the open ring box was still on the island in the kitchen. Next to the box was a note that read,

"Tonight I'm leaving on a train. I won't be gone long. I really am sorry. I love you."

Draco no longer needed to read the note, but he still picked it up, first glancing at the ruby ring that was snug in its place. As he read the note for the third time the room filled with the swelling of a piano. It was subtle but he jumped anyway. Emitting from the turntable was Moonlight Sonata, her favorite song. He could hear her voice as though she were standing right next to him.

_"Did you know that Beethoven was a wizard? A muggleborn at that. He was such a genius and he kept it a secret the majority of life."_

_ "Yes, Granger. I get it. Purebloods are so jealous not to have such great minds. Blah blah blah." He wrapped his arms around her waist, his chest to her back. "But some of us must be smart. I did snag you, love." He playfully nipped at her ear before turning her around, placing his finger under her chin and bringing her lips to his._

The crackling vinyl brought him back to reality. He was in the same house, but he was alone and the noise was driving him crazy. He slammed the note down on the counter, picked up the box and chucked it across the room. After a few heaving breaths, he started in on the rest of the house.

The first thing to go was the turntable. He picked it up and threw it to the ground, breaking it into several pieces. He quickly snatched the record up and snapped it in half. He had to stop that song. It had played almost nonstop for the past two days, but even as he tossed the pieces to the ground he could hear it.

He turned to his right and shoved the small bookcase that had held the now destroyed turntable. As the stacks of books tumbled across the floor, he proceeded to kick them out of his way. He threw pillows from the breakfast nook and slid his arms violently across the table, knocking the chess board and pieces to the ground. Next were the dishes. One by one, he picked the dishes up and smashed them against the counter, ignoring the stinging sensation that encompassed his hand.

As the blood pooled on the counter, Draco sighed. He glanced around at his disheveled house which, in his mind, reflected his life. He didn't know how much longer he could take her absence. With a quick wave of his wand, the house began to repair itself and he headed towards the bathroom for some Essence of Dittany. He stared at himself in the mirror, his exhaustion visible and with one last drop of Dittany, he decided to go to bed without eating.

The minute his head hit the pillow, he heard music filtering throughout the house and instead of turning it off, thought about the events of the week before.

_Draco had just turned on the turntable when Hermione walked into her cottage. She was hanging up her coat when she heard it: Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven. It was her favorite and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Then she realized it was darker than normal. She turned and couldn't stop the gasp emerging from her mouth. Her breakfast nook had been transfigured to match the table set up of her favorite muggle restaurant, with a few magical additions. The candles, instead of sitting on the table, were suspended above it and though there were only two, they emitted enough light so Hermione could see the entire house. There were two wine glasses, already full sitting next to the nicest china she owned. The napkins were folded delicately on top of the plates and in the center of the table there was a single rose, but instead of just red, it slowly cycled through four colors: red, gold, silver, and green. But none of this amazing display compared to the man who put it all together. _

_Draco stood next to one of the chairs, one hand on the back of it and the other in his pocket. He was dressed in a tailored black suit with an emerald green tie. Neatly folded in his breast pocket was a silver handkerchief that matched his silver dragon tie clip. He stood relaxed with his jacket unbuttoned and his feet crossed at the ankles. His hair was short and swept back but still a bit tousled. It was almost as if he had just used his fingers to comb it in that position, but Hermione knew better. He spent more time on his hair than she did on hers, which is probably why her hair was a bit more wild than she usually let it get these day. "Draco," she said, moving closer to him, "what's all this?"_

"_Well, hello, Love." He uncrossed his ankles and moved toward her, reaching her in a stride and a half. His smirk, which was more of a grin nowadays, made his eyes crinkle in a way Hermione would never forget. He slid his hand out of his pocket and onto her waist. Draco met Hermione's eyes with his and bent down to kiss the tip of her nose. "I know that you've had a tough week so I figured I would do something nice."_

_Hermione was stunned. Her and Draco's relationship was simple. It wasn't full of flair or random acts of romance. That's not to say it wasn't full of passion and love, but they were both practical people, and with everything they went through to make it to adulthood, simplicity was what they both needed. "Um. Okay then. I'm a bit underdressed, don't you think?"_

"_It's okay. You look beautiful." Draco smiled at her again and pressed his lips to her temple. "But if you do want to change, I set out a dress for you." He looked down and saw Hermione smiling and nodding._

"_Okay. I will be right back."_

_When Hermione left, Draco downed his glass of wine and quickly poured himself another one, his fingers grazing over his pocket. For the twentieth time that evening, he reassured himself that he could do this. When Hermione came back, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He chose a dull silver dress. She always told him it was called a tea length dressed and was very popular in the 1950s, but he just knew that it was stunning on her. "Draco. Thank you so much. You know this is my favorite." She did a small spin and he noticed she opted out of the shoes he picked and just went barefoot. _

"_It's my favorite too, Love." With that, he pulled out her chair and took her hand, guiding her to sit down. When he took his seat across from her, a salad appeared in the bowls set out in front of them. _

"_It looks delicious," Hermione said, taking the bite of lettuce and cranberries stuck to the end of her fork. She noticed that her boyfriend was fidgety and kept wiping his palms on his pants. He only ever did that if he was extremely nervous and that was a rare event. "Draco."_

"_Hmm?"_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Wh-what? Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Why would you ask that?"_

"_Your palms are sweaty."_

"_And?"_

"_That only happens when you're nervous, my dear."_

"_Really? Since when?"_

"_Since forever. Remember trying to hold my hand on our first date?" Hermione laughed and smiled at him. "You were so cute I almost couldn't believe you were the real Draco Malfoy." She giggled again as his brows furrowed and he muttered something to himself about, _

_"insufferable know it alls with their cute bums."_

"_But really, Draco. What's up?"_

"_I have something to say," he said, looking up at her and smiling. At this, he got out of his chair and took a knee. Hermione just looked at him, her chestnut eyes wide and unblinking. "Hermione. Love. I just…I need to tie my shoe."_

"_Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Hermione threw her chair back and hit Draco with her napkin. She turned around to throw her napkin on the counter behind her. "You had me so nervous. I thought I would actually have to," she stopped. She was facing towards Draco again and all she could see was the ring. She didn't even hear him when he called her name, twice. It wasn't until he stood up that she noticed she was still staring._

"_Hermione, love. What do you say, huh? Will you, ya' know, marry me?"_

"_Draco. I –"_

"_I mean, I know I didn't really get to ask your dad for permission or anything, but I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." And he kept going on until finally, "Draco!"_

_Hermione looked at him, her eyes straining through the haze her tears were causing. "Draco. I can't. We've talked about this. I just don't think marriage at our age is practical. Things are always changing and how do you know that when you wake up tomorrow, you'll still love me?"_

"_Because I just know, Hermione. Don't you?"_

_Hermione stared at Draco slack jawed. "Of course, but Draco, I've lost too much too soon. I can't—"_

"_We've all lost stuff, Granger. You're smart so why can't you see that? This will bring us closer."_

"_They're dead because of what I did, Draco. My parents. They're gone because of me. And so is Ron. He left the country because of me! Because of the things that I did. Because I…"_

"_Because you fell in love with me."_

"_Can't you see that I drive people away? I don't want to do that to you."_

_Draco put the ring box down on the counter, vanished their supper, and transformed the dining set up back to their nook. He shook his head and walked towards the front door before turning around again to stare at his girlfriend, Hermione Granger, the love of his life. "What do you need to do, huh? To make this better, what do you need to do? I will wait. I will wait for you, but I need to know you'll come back."_

"_I need to find him. Talk to him. Make him see that I still care about him."_

"_Fine," Draco hissed, more upset at the situation then at her. "Go." He turned back around and started out the door._

"_Draco? Where are you going?" _

_He heard the sob she was trying to choke down but didn't dare look at her. "I'll be at the Manor. I'll come back in the morning so we can floo to work together. I love you, Hermione. Goodnight." _

_And with that he apparated. _

How was he supposed to know she would leave that night? That when he showed up the next morning he would find a note instead of her? That he would spend the day on the couch reading and rereading that note?

Draco grabbed the extra pillow in the bed and put it over his face. He needed to stop thinking about how he should have asked her to stay. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo left on the pillow and embraced it hoping that the little bit of her would comfort him enough for the night.

* * *

Hermione sat in a hotel room in Montreal, hugging her legs against her chest. She knew she was close to finding Ron. Harry told her that he was somewhere in North America and she talked to Molly who pointed her in the direction of Quebec.

Too bad she was distracted by constant thoughts of Draco. He said he would wait and she could only hope that what he said was true. And even though it was torture, she hoped he missed her because she desperately missed how he kissed her.

**A/N: A couple of things: 1. Please please please review. It would mean the world to me hear your thoughts and constructive criticism. If you choose not to, that's okay too. Just by reading this you've made my day. **

**2\. I will be doing a series around Christmas called 12 Days of One Shots. I hope that you stick around for those. As of right now, they are all Harry Potter but there will be multiple ships so if you have a favorite HP ship, let me know! I'd love to write a one shot for you! **

**3\. Thanks always to my beta, Rezi, who you can check out on ao3 at archive of our own users /nerdzeword (just delete the spaces)**

**Love always, **

**AmandaPlease. **


	2. Ballad

Hermione sat down to write a quick note to the one person she missed most in the world. She knew her plane would be leaving in a couple of hours and she should have been packing, but she hoped that this letter would warrant a response. It had been a month and a half since she left and she missed her boyfriend dearly.

* * *

Draco woke up to a tapping sound. Cracking one eye, he saw a strange owl perched on the flower box outside of the window. Groaning, he got up to get the post, bare feet padding across the wooden floor of the cottage. He looked through the stack of letters, mentally prioritizing the order in which they needed to be read until he got to the last letter. Upon seeing the handwriting, he threw the rest of the mail down onto the counter and carefully ripped the envelope open.

"Draco, love," he read aloud to himself, "My vacation's ending. I'm coming home late. The weather was fine and the ocean was great and I can't wait to see you again. Love, Hermione."

His stomach lurched and his heart stuttered. He missed Hermione and wanted to see her, but he was still angry at her for her sudden departure. It was the anger that won and he crumpled the piece of paper and threw it in the trash, sneering at the trash bin and muttering to himself, "No one here cares if you go or you stay. I barely even noticed that you were away. I'll see you or I won't, whatever." He made his way to the bedroom to get ready for work, packing an overnight bag in case he decided to stay at the Manor that night.

* * *

Hermione hummed to her music as she boarded the plane. She knew she could have requested a portkey, but she really liked flying the muggle way. It was safer and had fewer aftereffects than any other way of international transportation. She smiled to everyone she passed and was pleased to get a window seat. She loved looking out at the clear, blue ocean.

* * *

Draco walked through Diagon Alley, nodding to the many people he passed, but drowning in melancholy. The seriousness of his frown warded a lot of people away, but there were still a few who engaged in conversation. Draco entertained them for a bit, but then moved on, hoping to stop by The Leaky Cauldron before going on a broom ride.

* * *

Hermione arrived safely at London City Airport, dragging her carry-on behind her. Patrons looked upon her as she passed and they smiled in her absence. There was something about her aura that screamed loved and they hoped that she would soon be reunited with the one whose heart she carried in her suitcase.

* * *

Draco hovered just above the Slytherin section of the Quidditch pitch. He wasn't sure why he had flown here, but it was the perfect spot to drink his nerves away. He knew the wards had alerted McGonagall of his being at Hogwarts, as he would often come and help the Slytherin team practice. He opened the bottle of firewhiskey he carried with him and started to drink, disregarding the time and the way the moon slid across the dark sky.

* * *

Hermione took a taxi to The Leaky Cauldron where she would then floo home. She chatted with the young man driving and laughed at his funny anecdotes. Before she got out of the car, the driver stopped her. "Is it queer," he started, "to say that I think I love you?" Hermione laughed, handed the man his money and exited the car with a wave and a "goodbye".

She found her cottage empty; exactly the way that she had left it. There were no signs that Draco had been there at all while she was away. Her heart sank a little to discover he wasn't waiting for her. She quickly put away her things and called Narcissa.

"Malfoy Manor," Hermione spoke into her library fireplace. When it finally connected, Hermione nervously said, "Hello?"

"Oh, Hermione! Is that you? How wonderful to hear from you, my dear."

Hermione laughed. "Hi! I was wondering if Draco was at the Manor?"

"You know," Narcissa said with a frown in her voice, "I haven't seen him for a couple of days, but I'm sure he'll be home soon. You did tell him you were coming back today, yes?"

"I wrote him this morning, but he never replied."

"Shame on him! If I see or hear from him, I will let you know. Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight."

After her conversation with Narcissa she called Blaise, Theo, Ginny, and even Pansy to see if they had heard or seen Draco. Each call was the same as the last so Hermione concluded that she would just have to wait up for him.

* * *

Draco's landing into the front yard was anything but graceful. He dove too steep and too fast, resulting in flipping over his broom and landing in the garden bed. "Fuck!" he yelled, thanking Merlin for the silencing ward around the house. He cursed some more as he dusted the dirt off of his pants and noticed the library light on. "No no no. I can't see her like this," he thought.

Shouting some more, he rushed inside, stopping in the kitchen for a sober up potion that he quickly downed. Before making his way to the inevitable confrontation he would soon have with the love of his life, he checked the clock on the stove.

"2:55 A.M. plus the fifteen minutes it's behind." Draco sighed. And she thought that she would be home late.

He shuffled his feet down the hall and poked his head into the spare room that Hermione had turned into a library. There she sat, waiting for him with a worried smile. He leaned on the doorframe, taking her in before hanging his head and vomiting the words he had been dying to say. "Hermione, love, I'm sorry."

"What for?"

Draco looked at her confused as she got up to meet him.

Hermione started again. "I'm yours and that's it. Whatever." She shrugged, her chocolate eyes drinking in the mercury of his. "I should not have been gone for so long. I'm yours and that's it. Forever," she said, holding up her left hand, the light catching the ring that had been sitting on the counter for a month and a half.

Draco's eyes widened in recognition and he quickly pulled her into a kiss that relayed longing and happiness and eternity without saying a word. "You're mine," he whispered, his breath tickling Hermione's face, "and that's it. Forever."


End file.
